Populist Party

The Populist Party was a liberal political party in the United States that existed from 1891 to 1896, although some remnants existed until 1908. James B. Weaver ran as the Populists' candidate for president in 1892 with James G. Field as his vice-presidential candidate, winning Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, and North Dakota (8.5% of the popular vote). The party won the support of northern labor unions and working class southerners, and the party advocated the predominance of farmers over cities, railroads, gold, banks, and social elites. In 1896, the party merged into the US Democratic Party to endorse the leftist presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan, who fought against gold and the elites.